Pacific Ocean: Flying Tiger Line Encounters Three 2,000-Foot Objects Near Tokyo
On January 15, 1965, a Flying Tiger Line aircraft transporting US military officers to Japan detected three gigantic objects (~2,000 feet) on radar; the objects paced the plane for minutes, and an Air Force officer advised against scrambling interceptors, saying 'fighter jets would likely be helpless.'
Background
On January 15, 1965, a Flying Tiger Line aircraft chartered by the US Defense Department was transporting a group of Army and Air Force officers to Japan. An hour away from landing at Tokyo, the plane's onboard radar detected three huge fast-approaching objects.
The Encounter
Surrounded by a reddish glow, the enormous ovular anomalies descended toward the plane. The captain was preparing to turn the aircraft away when the objects, in close formation, veered to one side, decelerated, and leveled out to pace the plane at a distance of five miles. Even at that far away they appeared gigantic — roughly 2,000 feet in length, maybe more.
Military Response
A crewman beckoned an Air Force officer to the flight deck where the pilot asked whether he should call for jet interceptors from Okinawa. The officer replied that the fighter jets would likely be helpless in the face of such crafts and might instigate a confrontation. After several more nervous minutes, the unknowns angled away, accelerated to 1,200 knots, and were swiftly gone.
Significance
Three objects each estimated at 2,000 feet in length — an Air Force officer aboard advised against intercepting, saying fighters would be 'helpless.'